Indemnity to principals
Indemnity to principals provisions in contractor’s insurance policies provide cover for the client (the principal) in the event that the contractor is negligent and this results in a claim against the client. This may be a requirement of a construction contract, and contractors must check with their insurers that their policy include this sort of provision for the type of project that they are undertaking.
The requirement may be satisfied by a separate indemnity, or by extending the contractor’s own policy to indemnify the principal as if they were the insured, in which case, the policy will pay out if a claim is made against the principal as a result of work carried out by the contractor, as if the claim was being made against the contractor themselves.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- 3D animation for insurance risk analysis.
- Building Users' Insurance Against Latent Defects.
- Contractors' all-risk insurance.
- Contract works insurance.
- Directors and officers insurance.
- Employers’ liability insurance
- Flood insurance.
- Insurance for building design and construction.
- Integrated project insurance.
- Latent defects insurance.
- Legal indemnities.
- Professional Indemnity Insurance.
- Public liability insurance.
- Residual value insurance.
Featured articles and news
Homes, landlords. tenants and the new housing standards
What will it all mean?
The Architectural Technology podcast: Where it's AT
Catch-up on the latest episodes.
Edmundson Apprentice of the Year award 2026
Entries now open for this Electrical Contractors' Association award.
Traditional blue-grey slate from one of the oldest and largest UK slate quarries down in Cornwall.
There are plenty of sources with the potential to be redeveloped.
Change of use legislation breaths new life into buildings
A run down on Class MA of the General Permitted Development Order.
Solar generation in the historic environment
Success requires understanding each site in detail.
Level 6 Design, Construction and Management BSc
CIOB launches first-ever degree programme to develop the next generation of construction leaders.
Open for business as of April, with its 2026 prospectus and new pipeline of housing schemes.
The operational value of workforce health
Keeping projects moving. Incorporating unplanned absence and the importance of health, in operations.
A carbon case for indigenous slate
UK slate can offer clear embodied carbon advantages.
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.
The place for vitrified clay pipes in modern infrastructure
Why vitrified clay pipes are reclaiming their role in built projects.
Research by construction PR consultancy LMC published.
Roles and responsibilities of domestic clients
ACA Safety in Construction guide for domestic clients.
Fire door compliance in UK commercial buildings
Architect and manufacturer gives their low down.